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Comment by bambax | Hacker News Reader

Tried Pebble, liked Garmin Fenix 3 MUCH better: it's round, it has GPS (inside, not with an additional gadget), has superb battery life and feels indestructible -- it may not be, it's just how it feels.

It's more expensive but well worth the extra money IMHO.

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Maybe because it's way more expensive than Pebble?

Love my Fenix 3.

Garmin does a nice job bridging the cap between the "smart" watches like Pebble and the Apple watch, and the more serious fitness devices like those from Polar and Suunto.

I have much "nicer" watches, but this one is just far more utilitarian, especially for an active person.

It's also very sharp looking in comparison to the cheaper/plastic looking option.

GPS works almost everywhere (including on planes!); compass works absolutely everywhere, including near big metal objects, on the subway, etc. It's really really great.

That said, software could be improved, and that's an understatement. The mess that is "basecamp" is a disgrace, esp. for a company like Garmin which is associated with navigation...

Man! I hate Basecamp too! I haven't bothered trying it with my Fenix, but I used it on my Colorado handheld GPS for a few backpacking trips, and it was terrible. Especially the early versions.

Absolutely the same impressions with Garmin Forerunner 235. Pebble is way way behind.

I also have a Forerunner 235 and I think it's the most underrated smart watch out there. It has superb battery life (up to 11 days), always on display and heart rate monitor as well as a tight integration with iOS (notifications, apple health).

One of the biggest issues for me with the Forerunner is the fact that it seems to have a rather laggy heart rate monitor. Looking at my friend heart rate tracking with the watch, shows rather abrupt increases and decreases in the heart rate, most notable at the beginning and end of a run.

Based on the cost of the Forerunner, if the new Pebble Time 2 is as accurate or better, the cost alone might have me buying it. That said I'm on Android so I would get all the benefits unlike the iOS crowd.

Are there other devices with wrist HR measuring that are appreciably better? My understanding is that if you want very precise monitoring, you're going to need a chest strap.

The Scosche arm band HR seems to be on par with chest straps: http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2014/05/scosche-antbluetooth-opti...

I'm not sure, to be honest, they all seem a bit meh, but if the Pebbles is close or better than the Forerunner it'll be worth it on price alone I feel.

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